BLAIR: Integration not Disintegration

It is clear from this  new, extraordinary  (extraordinary if enforced) declaration by Tony Blair that Britain's multicultural experiment is over, that Melanie Phillips, author of Londonistan, is finally being paid the attention and gravitas she so richly desearves. When I went to a lunch with Phillips, some months back, she made these prescient remarks,

There has been over the past 20 to 30 years an evisceration of British National identity and values which has created a cultural and moral vaccum being exploited by Radical Islamism which has come to fill that vacuum.

"Britian has lost belief, really, in itself as a nation and furthermore in the idea of the nation itself. The nation itself is seen as the cause of all ills in the world from prejudice, discrimination to war. Legitimacy resides instead in super national institutions, values and laws. So institutions such as the United Nations, the European Union, the International Criminal Court and values such as the doctrine of International  human rights and minority rights are considered to be more legitimate because they are not rooted in the particular. The particular is discriminatory by defintion. The particular is rooted in a majority culture. The majority culture is by nature exclusivist and therefore discriminatory. They're essentially racist." Transcript and audio here

Melanie Phillips posits that the advance of the global jihad is being facilitated by a wholesale collapse of western values and national identity within Europe and in which Britain is taking the lead. Paralyzed by minority rights and the terror of Islamist violence, Phillips argues that the British establishment is even now failing to confront the religious fanaticism in its midst and is choosing instead to appease it. Meanwhile, the post-modernist onslaught upon the concept of truth itself has produced such confusion that, instead of standing up to the ideas that threaten democracy, many in Britain now subscribe to the false narrative of those who are laying siege to their society. This disorientation of the once-implacable British bulldog has major lessons and warnings for America as well.

Clearly Blair has read the book.

Adopt our values or stay away, says Blair Telegraph

Your view: what next for "multicultural" Britain?
Full text of Blair's multiculturalism speech
Audio: Andrew Pierce on why Blair isn't facing questions

Tony Blair formally declared Britain's multicultural experiment over yesterday as he told immigrants they had ''a duty" to integrate with the mainstream of society.

Tony Blair yesterday: 'We don't want the hate-mongers'

In a speech that overturned more than three decades of Labour support for the idea, he set out a series of requirements that were now expected from ethnic minority groups if they wished to call themselves British.

These included "equality of respect" - especially better treatment of women by Muslim men - allegiance to the rule of law and a command of English.

Mr Blair's volte face - just eight years ago he championed multiculturalism - was the culmination of a long Labour retreat from the cause. In recent weeks, Jack Straw, Ruth Kelly, John Reid and Gordon Brown have all played their part in a concerted revision of the Cabinet's stand which began in earnest after the July 7 suicide bombings in London last year.

Mr Blair, speaking in Downing Street, said the diversity of cultures in Britain should still be celebrated but the tone of his speech was against the ideology that became known as multiculturalism.

"The right to be in a multicultural society was always implicitly balanced by a duty to integrate, to be part of Britain, to be British and Asian, British and black, British and white," he said

The bombings had thrown the whole concept of a multicultural Britain "into sharp relief" and highlighted the divisions in society. While it was right that people should enjoy their own cultures, they should do so under a single set of overarching values.

"When it comes to our essential values, the belief in democracy, the rule of law, tolerance, equal treatment for all, respect for this country and its shared heritage — then that is where we come together, it is what gives us what we hold in common; it is what givesright to call ourselves British," said Mr Blair.

I expect some serious blowback in Br4itiain over this. The question is, does Blair have the moral spine to enforce this ambitious program? Or will  it go the way of all of Blair's previous attempts to stave off the Islamization of Britian? Paper tiger, no teeth. I hope this isn't another one of the those "fine speeches" that crumbles under the weight of the Islamic bully.

UPDATE: LONDON: You can swim but you have to wear Muslim dress Daily Mail

Comments

[pastorius]

I agree with you that there will be some blowback, but I don't think there will be as much blowback as you may think, or as there would be if such words were spoken in America.

The other day, when Charles ran the story of the Chicago area Jihadi, if you notice, the Guardian (Britain's most left-wing newspaper) was the first in the whole world to admit that this man was a Muslim. The Guardian and other left-wing papers have been publishing evidence against Islam that no American paper or journal will.

Think about it, when you read a real clear editoria against Islam, it is always from either the blogosphere, or the Telegraph, the London Times, the Guardian, or the Daily Mail.

Yes, it is true that the American paper Investors business Journal also tells the truth sometimes, and the New York Sun is pretty accurate, but really that's pretty much it for America.

[A. Truman North]

I cover the same story in much the same way here: http://condig.blogspot.com/2006/12/britan-to-immigrants-be-english.html#links

[tazzerman2000]

It's about time. Now, can we here in America please grow some cajones and do the same thing?

Unfortunatly, it's NOT just the media.. Our own educational institutions are hotbeds of multiculuralistic hogwash.

They routinly indoctrinate our young people with the notion that America is the root of all evil.

Putting aside all of the hyperbole, rhetoric and partisan BS, I have seen and heard with my own eyes and ears, young Americans tell me that America is evil.

That WE are the cause of sufferning across this planet. They have no love or belief in this great nation, it's ideals, it's values or it's history.

Decades have now passed and untold millions of youth have been turned into what I call 'Howard Zinn' Americans.

They praise Al Gore and Dhimmi Carter and look to THEM for leadership. They worship people like Hugo Chavez and Fidel Castro because of their supposed populisim and so called 'caring' for the poor..

They MOCK Americans who are ready and willing to stand up and fight for this country.

They feel no great loss at the death of Americans who are in harms way.

Oh sure, they might pay lip service to them and feel that it's a tragedy that young people are killed but they do so only in the most superficial way ala Cindy Sheehan.

They're more interested in using those deaths for their own gain then they are in understanding or even agreeing with WHY those people were willing to give the "last full measure of devotion".

They pay lip service to so called 'values' which, while sounding good, have no root or core to anchor themselves to.

We will NEVER win this war unless we confront established and entrenched academia and turn them around.

Otherwise, we will continue down the path that Eurabia has taken before us.

[x_dhimmi]

The UK's "lame duck" PM Blair still ROCKS! I agree w/Pastorius that there won't be as much blowback as there would have been, say, a year ago. Blair isn't alone (Jack Straw, Ruth Kelly, John Reid and Gordon Brown - cited above), and the people have been looking for some leadership in this area. The people began complaining long ago that they did not feel adequate protection from the governments. May our own "lame duck" President take a cue from his stalwart mate.

[Josef K]

Atlas - the Prime Minister's speech is from here.

And yes, he's my kind of liberal. Strong on public education and strident on the GWOT. As much as I love America, I wish we had a better leader in Prime Minister Blair who could bring us together and keep our nation's backbone as strong as a Blair, Bolton or an Atlas!!